Get the App

Facebook

Instagram

Pinterest

2018 Primary Election Results

Lincoln City Councilwoman and grocery store executive Jane Raybould has won the Democratic nomination for Senate in Nebraska. Raybould defeated three Democratic challengers in Tuesday’s primary race for the seat held by Republican Sen. Deb Fischer.

Sen. Deb Fischer of Nebraska has won the Republican nomination in her bid for a second term in office. Fischer defeated four GOP challengers in Tuesday’s primary election and will be the strong favorite to win re-election in deep-red Nebraska.

Raybould has served on the Lincoln City Council since 2015 and helps run her family’s grocery store chain. She ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2014 as part of Democrat Chuck Hassebrook’s gubernatorial campaign.

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts has easily won the Republican nomination to seek a second term in November.

Ricketts enters the general election with more than $1.3 million in campaign cash at his disposal for the general election, far outpacing all other gubernatorial candidates. Ricketts defeated Krystal Gabel of Omaha, a technical writer who advocates for medical marijuana and industrial hemp. Gabel previously volunteered for the Nebraska Green Party and the Legal Cannabis Now Party.

Ricketts will face State Senator Bob Krist who won the Democratic nomination. Krist defeated two other Democratic candidates in Tuesday’s primary election. The veteran state lawmaker campaigned on promises that he would take a less partisan approach to state government than Ricketts.

Nebraska state Sen. John Murante has secured the Republican nomination for state treasurer and is all but certain to win the office in November. Murante’s victory in Tuesday’s primary sets him on the path to replace current State Treasurer Don Stenberg, who is ineligible to run because of term limits. No Democratic or third-party candidates have filed to run.

Murante defeated financial adviser Taylor Royal, a former Omaha mayoral candidate who highlighted his experience in accounting. Murante, of Gretna, was first elected to the Legislature in 2012 and was re-elected without a challenger in 2016. He has touted himself as a staunch conservative with endorsements from most of Nebraska’s top Republican officials, including Stenberg.

U.S. Rep. Adrian Smith has won the Republican nomination to seek a seventh term in Nebraska’s 3rd Congressional District, an overwhelmingly rural area that covers most of the state.

Smith fended off three GOP challengers on Tuesday to claim the nomination. He now will face Democrat Paul Theobald, a hog farmer, historian and former administrator at Wayne State College who ran unopposed for his party’s nomination. The district is heavily Republican.

Former lab chemist Jessica McClure has won the Democratic nomination to run in Nebraska’s 1st Congressional District.

McClure defeated Lincoln attorney Dennis Crawford in Tuesday’s primary election. She now faces incumbent U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, who is seeking an eighth term and enjoys a significant fundraising advantage. Republicans have represented the district since 1966.

Lincoln attorney Bob Evnen has won the Republican nomination to replace outgoing Nebraska Secretary of State John Gale. Evnen’s victory on Tuesday sets him up to face Democrat Spencer Danner, an underdog in GOP-dominated Nebraska. Gale is not seeking re-election.

Evnen defeated fellow Republican Debra Perrell, an administrative assistant from Hershey who hasn’t raised enough money to trigger state reporting requirements. Evnen enters the general election with nearly $113,000 in cash on hand as of last month.

Incumbent Lancaster County Treasurer Andy Stebbing will be leaving office following his defeat in the primary election. LPS Board member Matt Schulte outdistanced Stebbing and challenger Allen Simpson to win the Republican nomination. He will face Democrat Rachel Garver in the general election. Garver easily defeated Andrew Stock.